Background: Most deaths in military trauma occur soon after wounding, and demand immediate on scene interventions. Although hemorrhage predominates as the cause of potentially preventable death, airway obstruction and tension pneumothorax are also frequent. First responders caring for casualties in operational settings often have limited clinical experience.
Introduction: We hypothesized that communications technologies allowing for real-time communications with a senior medically experienced provider might assist in the efficacy of first responding to catastrophic trauma.
Methods: Thirty-three basic life saving (BLS) medics were randomized into two groups: either receiving telementoring support (TMS, n = 17) or no telementoring support (NTMS, n = 16) during the diagnosis and resuscitation of a simulated critical battlefield casualty. In addition to basic life support, all medics were required to perform a procedure needle thoracentesis (not performed by BLS medics in Israel) for the first time. TMS was performed by physicians through an internet link. Performance was assessed during the simulation and later on review of videos.
Results: The TMS group was significantly more successful in diagnosing (82.35% vs. 56.25%, p = 0.003) and treating pneumothorax (52.94% vs. 37.5%, p = 0.035). However, needle thoracentesis time was slightly longer for the TMS group versus the NTMS group (1:24
± 1:00 vs. 0:49 ± 0:21 minu, respectively (p = 0.016). Complete treatment time was 12:56 ± 2:58 min for the TMS group, versus 9:33 ± 3:17 min for the NTMS group (p = 0.003).
Conclusions: Remote telementoring of basic life support performed by military medics significantly improved the medics' ability to perform an unfamiliar lifesaving procedure at the cost of prolonging time needed to provide care. Future studies must refine the indications and contraindications for using telemedical support.
